Return of the Avatar
by shadow74236915
Summary: The Avatar has been missing for over 100 years since the death of Avatar Saxton. But when Scout discovers he is an air-bender, an attack on his family pushes him into the Avatar State. Why is he now the Avatar? What happened to the Avatar of the Fire Nation? And why are the Earth and Fire Nations on the brink of war? TF2/AtLA/Portal 3X-Over. T for language; slightly more for blood.
1. Book 1, Chapter 1: The Beginning

**I'm going to start this off with a big THANK YOU to the inspiration for this story, MADJesters1.**

**Now, if you are familiar with MJ1's work, then you've probably seen the series of small comics and pictures of TF2, AtLA, and Portal (even though it's not much) in a crossover. When I saw it, I was SOOOO excited to see when MJ1 would make this an ACTUAL comic...**

**...until I realized it was never going to happen. EVER.**

**SO, I asked MJ1 if I could write out a fanfic pretty much entirely based off the headcanons they've made.  
**

**And they said yes.**

**So, here it is.**

* * *

**Now, I'm going to talk about myself for a bit. If you have never read any of my other stories (and don't plan on it either), then skip over this; it doesn't concern you.**

**So, I'm still working on 'Burning Up' and 'Arashi no doragonsureiya', but 'A-n-d''s nineteenth chapter is on hold. I'm making a crack chapter for it, as compensation for my lateness, which has NOTHING to do with story-plot-advancement. Just be patient, and you'll see what it's for soon.**

**'Burning Up' is going slow. Like, REALLY slow... I'm having a hard time starting up the first battle scene, mostly because I'm not good a writing action... Any tips or help offered will be gladly accepted!**

**Finally... 'Bijuu no hitobashira-ryoku' is on indefinite hold. I have no idea when this is coming back, and I don't really care. I'm sorry if anyone loves this story, you're just gonna have to wait until the muse returns at full power. If, for some reason, you think you can keep this story alive and make it thrive, then please, BY ALL MEANS, PM me and TELL ME SO! **

**I will give you the story in a heartbeat!**

**Other than that, I've got three published stories being worked on, and one more that hasn't quite gotten off the ground yet... I'm going to do my best, but it will take some time for me to update these stories.**

**Alright, story time!**

* * *

**I do not own TF2, Portal, AtLA, or the idea to combine all three at once. I just own these words.**

* * *

_Book 1: Pain_

...

_Chapter 1: The Beginning_

...

...

...Scout ran through the streets, trying to escape his pursuers. He had been running for the better part of the day, pausing only for a few seconds breather. Unfortunately, he was smaller and weaker than them, so it was only a matter of time until they caught him. He kept running though; if he couldn't fight them off, or lose them in the alleyways, then he'd just have to outlast them. To keep running until she made it back.

If only his air-bending was stronger! He had discovered his ability only a few months beforehand, and he had never been happier in his life!

But, in a family of fire, water, and earth-benders, no one considered him worth their time. No one wanted to train him, so he remained weak and defenseless, while his brothers grew strong. This, of course, led to him being picked on quite often by the fifth, sixth, and seventh oldest...

...like now.

Today's bullying session began with no incident. After his mother left for work, his fifth oldest brother, Jahn, had simply started bending rocks at his face with no warning. Scout was lucky he only lost two teeth. After that, Jaca and Terron, also earth-benders, had joined in, pelting him with small, but rough, pebbles. Scout had dodged most, but the cuts had started to multiply on his body, so he cut his losses and ran.

And ran...

and ran...

and ran.

His only hope was that one of his older brothers would take pity on him, for once, but help never came.

Suddenly, Scout found himself running into a wall. He had made a wrong turn, leading him into a dead end. Dead end #18 if he remembered correctly(1)...

"Caught you, you little squirt!" Scout jumped back, and turned to the entrance to see Jaca standing there with a wicked grin on his face. Jaca whistled loudly, alerting his brothers of his location. Soon, all three earth-benders were stalking towards their brother by nothing but blood.

"Little showoff... think you can make everyone forget about us as they fawn over the 'oh-so-precious air-bender'?!"

"He's weak! Can't even make a breeze!"

"Let's see what happens when an air-bender doesn't have any air!" He stomped on the ground, and a giant tunnel opened up behind Scout, with him just standing at the edge. He started to hyperventilate.

"G-guys! Do-don't do this!" His brothers laughed.

"Aw... can't get enough air, Scout?"

"Uh-oh! He's getting stronger! Look at how much air he can take in!(2)"

"Stop it..." Scout managed to get out. Jahn sneered at him.

"Oh yeah? And who's gonna stop us?"

"What are you three _doing_?!" All four brothers looked down at the entrance to the alleyway to see their oldest brother, Kaito, glaring at Scout's tormentors. "I've told you three multiple times to leave Scout alone; do you need another _reminder_?" The three earth-benders shuddered slightly at the memory of Kaito's punishments, which was damaging to the body and to their pride.

"Fine... we're going..." They hustled out of the alleyway, not even pausing to look back. Kaito sighed and turned to his youngest brother.

"I leave town for a week and they're already back to bullying you..." Scout sniffled slightly.

"W-what did I do wrong? ...why do they hate me?!" A hand rested comfortingly on his shoulder.

"Honestly? I think they're jealous..."

"Jealous?! How can they be jealous of me?"

"Because you're an air-bender! Do you know how rare an air-bender is?"

"I'm not the only one left, am I?!" Scout started to panic (comically), and Kaito laughed before hoisting Scout up onto his shoulder.

"No no no... the worst it's gotten was with Avatar Aang. He was _the last _air-bender, for a while, but then he had children, who had children, who had children. On top of that, random people throughout the world suddenly reported being able to bend air. So, no; you're not the last one."

"Was Avatar Aang an air-bender too?"

"All Avatar's are air-benders, silly! He was born as an air-bender, though..."

"Wow! Wouldn't that be so cool if _I _was the Avatar?! I'd be the best! Better than Avatar Aang!" He tried to strike a pose from his position, but nearly fell over.

"Well, you've got a lot to live up to! Maybe we could get you a teacher from the temples..."

"I'm gonna get an air-bending teacher?!"

"Well..."

...

...

The spy slowly slid down from the roof, landing onto the ground below lightly. He stopped listening after hearing that the young one was an air-bender. Imagine, that _he _could be the one to report to Master Gray that he found the Avatar!

But there was no sure way to tell yet...

He had to call this in.

* * *

Scout ran through the streets, not stopping for a moment. He couldn't afford to... not this time.

...

...

They had come in the middle of the night, knocking on the door loudly. Jaca went over to the door (protesting all the way, since he had been forced to), and opened it widely.

He had died instantly by a bullet to the head. The house had descended into chaos, his older brothers immediately leaping to defend their house form the murderers. Scout tried to do something, but his mother had immediately grabbed his arm and brought him over to the kitchen window on the opposite side of the house from the front door.

"Listen to me, listen to me!" she ordered, as she crouched down to face him. "You go out the window now, and you run. Don't ever look back! Go to the alley-way where I found you last month, and I'll send one of your brothers to come get you later. You wait there for a day, then you leave town. Do you understand me?!" Scout nodded fearfully, not having any clue as to what was going on. His mother teared up. "I should've sent you to the temples the moment you realized you were an air-bender... but I was selfish. Just promise me that you won't ever hate me for this..." With that, she picked him up and shoved him out the window. Scout, having been used to hitting the ground running, darted off into the night without a backwards glance.

She watched him go, crying softly, before her arms lit up on fire.

If she was dying tonight, she was taking as many of them with her as she could.

* * *

And now he was hiding; hiding in Dead-End #26, per his mother's instructions. And he waited.

And he waited.

And waited.

Waited.

...

"Hey you! What are you doing in there?!" Scout yelped, shocked at having been discovered. He tried to duck around the man, but he was too fast an experienced for a young boy to be able to pull that off. The man smirked, and pulled out a whistle.

*PSSCCHHHTTT!*

The whistle pierced the night air.

A signal.

Within minutes, the men who had been ransacking his house gathered around the signaler.

"You're sure this is him?"

"It's the boy I reported; I have no idea whether or not he's the one..."

"Well, with all the trouble we went through killing his family, and losing our men to that crazy bitch, he _better _be the one!" Scout, who had been squirming as hard as he could to break free, froze at the man's words.

"W-...what did you just say?"

"That's right! You're family's dead now!" The rest of the group began to laugh and jeer at the sobbing boy.

Scout was in turmoil: his family was dead, and it was his fault. All his fault...

...and then he snapped.

...

...

Far away from Scout, in a place few people can travel to, a woman in white woke up(3).

_'This... this power... It feels like hers, and _his_...' _She closed her eyes, concentrating on her surroundings. She twitched slightly, in response to her senses picking up a great power. Her eyes snapped open, and her face morphed into that of hatred.

_'Raava... My revenge is coming soon...'_

She closed her eyes once more, and returned to her sleep.

...

...

He woke up the next morning, in the middle of the street in broad daylight. As he looked around confusedly, he became more and more terrified at what could possibly have transpired last night.

The entire town he lived in was reduced to a pile of wreckage and splinters. No one seemed to be alive as far as he could tell, since he was the only one moving. The most disturbing part of this was the ring of untouched earth surrounding him perfectly, and the dead bodies of the men from last night lining it.

_"You wait there one day, then you leave town and don't look back!"_

There was no telling what day it was... he could've been lying here for a week. All he knew was that no one was coming to get him.

He got up and started walking.

And he didn't look back.

* * *

"Oof!"

"Ack! Oh! I'm so sorry ma'am!" His target laughed lightly as she dusted the front of her robes.

"That's quite alright, young one. Just make sure to watch where you're going from now on!"

"Don't worry ma'am, I will!" With that, Scout darted off into the bustling crowds, away from the orange-clad woman. She stared for a moment, then continued to walk before stopping up short.

_'Wha... that little sh-... punk!'_

Etsuko always carried her wallet in her hands, hidden by the giant sleeves of her robes, as an extra precaution against pick-pockets.

And, somehow, that little punk just stole it from her without her realizing it.

...

...

Scout sighed as he put his newest prize on the shelf. He sat down on a rusted old bucket, and tried hard to not to feel guilty.

But he always did...

This was his newest goal; saving up the money he needed for-

"I found you!" Scout yelped as a figure opened the shed and he scrambled away from the light. As the figure stepped in, he saw that it was the orange-wearing woman with the blue tattoo on her head from before, the one he just robbed.

"You just stole my wallet, didn't you?!" Scout shook his head no, in a desperate attempt. She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh really? Well, then I guess you just have a hobby of collecting wallets and stuffing them with money, am I right?" She walked over to the shelf and 'admired' it. "This is a wonderful collection! I love how some of these actually have other people's names on them! And _this _one... oh this one is like an exact replica of _mine_!"

Scout finally broke.

"Please! Please don't call the soldiers!" The woman turned back to Scout, and saw the worry and distress on his face. What she did not see was the reason behind it.

"Why? You are obviously breaking the law, and lawbreakers must be punished in some way."

"I-I can't go to jail; not after being so close to getting the money I need to-" he clapped his hand over his mouth. Why didn't he know when to shut up?

"Need to do... what, exactly?" she inquired. Scout shook his head.

"I... I don't want to talk about it..." She crossed her arms and gazed down at him sternly.

"Well, you can either tell me now, or you will tell the soldiers later; which do you prefer?" He looked up at her, hopelessness evident, and broke down sobbing.

Etsuko hadn't been expecting this.

"Y-you d-don't u-understand! I n-need to go t-to the Air T-temples, so I c-can be an a-air-bender!"

She _really _hadn't been expecting this.

"Well, how can you join the Air Temples if you use stealing as a means to get there?!" Scout shook his head.

"I was going to return everything I stole back to them; look!" He went over to one of the wallets, and rummaged around inside until he pulled out a folded up piece of paper, which he handed to Etsuko. She opened it, and gasped when she saw a beautifully done pencil-portrait(4) of some random woman. "I have a good short-term memory, so I memorize their faces and draw them, so that I can give back to money if I ever see them again." Etsuko suddenly felt remorse, but could not figure out why.

"Are you _certain _that you are an air-bender?" Scout nodded emphatically.

"I'm not very good at all yet... but I can do this!" He thrusted his palms forward, and a weak current of air shot out. Etsuko nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Well, I can take you with me to be trained, provided I have your parents' permission to do so."

And just like that, Scout's smile fell from his face.

"...that's not going to happen," he said quietly, head bowed low.

"Why? Surely, they can see the reasoning be-"

"THEY'RE DEAD, OKAY?! MY ENTIRE FAMILY, MY MOTHER, MY BROTHERS, ALL OF THEM; _DEAD_!" Scout broke into sobs again, and fell to his knees in despair.

There was no way Etsuko had been expecting this.

...

...

"I... see. I'm not sure it will be much, but, for what it's worth, I'm sorry this ever happened to you..." Etsuko said. Her companion shrugged, emotionless.

"It hurt when I found out, and I cry sometimes over it, but... I just don't feel the pain anymore..." Etsuko sighed.

"You never mentioned what happened _after _you found out..." The boy shivered involuntarily.

"I... I don't remember what happened..." Etsuko raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Well, what was the earliest memory after you found out?"

"I woke up... in the center of the town. It was all gone. The buildings were in pieces, and I think I was the only one left alive... and I woke up in the center of it all, a perfect circle of empty earth around me." Etsuko froze.

_'Of course... that's why Gray sent his minions after this boy!'_

"Ma'am? Are you okay? You're staring at nothing..." Etsuko blinked, snapping out of her daze.

"I'm sorry... I was thinking on something... important." The boy nodded, slumping down depressingly.

"You don't hate me... do you?" he asked sadly.

"No! I could never hate someone like you! You have gone through too much misfortune in your short life to be blamed for what happened! You are coming with me to the Air Temples, and you will learn how to air-bend!" She took in some extra breaths after her angry monologue.

"You... you really mean it?!" She smiled at the boy softly.

"Of course." She was granted a reply in the form of a tackle-hug from the boy, who seemed intent on squeezing her as hard as he could.

"Thank you! Thank you!" he sobbed in joy.

* * *

_(9 years later)_

"So... I was the Avatar the entire time?"

"Yes."

"Is that why my family was attacked? Because someone wanted to kill me?"

"...yes."

"Oh, okay... just tell me: WHAT THE HEL- HECK HAPPENED TO THE FIRE NATION'S AVATAR?! Why did they go after ME?!" An air-bender's staff came down hard on Scout's head. "OW!"

"No yelling, Scout. Now, remember your studies of the past Avatars. Who was from the Earth Kingdom?" Scout thought hard for a moment.

"Ummm, Saxton Hale, yeah?" Etsuko nodded.

"And what was his date of death?"

"Like... 330 A.G.(5), right?" She nodded again.

"You weren't even born until 432 A.G., so..." she motioned for him to finish the thought.

"The last Avatar... did they go missing?" Etsuko nodded in triumph.

"Perfect. Now let me explain a bit more; no one knows what happened to the Avatar of the Fire Nation. They were never found after many years of searching, so, after twenty years of no discovery, everyone assumed Avatar Saxton was the last. With you here, however, along with air-bending being your first awakened element, I have concluded that the Fire Avatar was taken at a young age."

"But that's impossible! No one can accurately tell whether a person is the Avatar or not until at _least _twelve years of age!" The staff came down once again. "OW!"

"No yelling. Now, that isn't entirely true; remember what age Avatar Korra was discovered?" Scout pouted.

"...six."

"Exactly. So, it stands to reason that the Fire Avatar had discovered some of their bending much like Avatar Korra. It's highly unlikely, though... more people would have reported something if the Avatar had begun to bend more than one element... So, there's still no clue as to how the Avatar had disappeared..." Scout groaned and put his head in his hands.

"This is getting us nowhere..." Etsuko sighed.

"I have to agree with you on that. Now, let's begin your water-bending exercises once more."

"I still don't understand why we can't just go to the Water Tribe to do this..." Scout huffed. A third time, the staff rapped his head. "STOP IT!"

"No yelling. I've told you multiple times that it's not safe to cross through the Earth Kingdom right now. With the Cold War between the Fire and Earth, any whisper or glimpse of the Avatar will spark the fire, which is the last thing we need with you still working on mastering air-bending."

"I can hold my own against anybody you pit me up against in the temple!"

"That does not prove mastery. You still have yet to understand the secret of air-bending."

"Well, what's the dam- dang secret?!"

"That is something that cannot be taught, only learned." Scout plopped onto his back with a groan.

"I'm never gonna get this!"

"You are doing good, Scout, I promise. However, until you can discover the true secret to air-bending, we might as well give you a minor head-start on water-bending. It can always come in handy in the future." Scout sighed again, closing his eyes.

They snapped back open, a mischievous glint in them. Etsuko glared at him.

"Scout we don't have time for this. Do not-

"YOU GOTTA CATCH ME FIRST~!" Scout sang as he went sailing out the window with his glider.

"SCOUT! GET BACK HERE DAM- DANG IT!"

...

...

He landed gently in his room, trying not to make a sound in case Etsuko was waiting. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he quickly packed up his clothes and other necessities that he thought he would need.

"Scout? What are you doing?" Scout swore in his head and whirled around to see Gyako(5) standing behind him. He relaxed slightly, and returned to packing.

"I was thinking earlier..."

"Don't hurt yourself," came the quick reply. Scout chuckled softly, used to his friend's teasing.

"Remember my story? From before Master Etsuko found me?" Gyako nodded. "I can't let that happen here... I don't know how long it might take, but whoever sent those guys after me might assume that I made it to one of the Temples. I can't allow any of you to be hurt simply because some guy wants to kill me. So, I decided I'm gonna leave tonight. I'll head up to the Northern Water Tribe; maybe I can get a true water-bending Master to teach me... It'll be a win-win scenario!"

"But... what about the rest of us? We're gonna miss you!" Scout turned around and smiled at his friend.

"I'll do my best to send you all letters whenever I make it to a town. For now, though, give this to Master Etsuko tomorrow at noon. It'll explain what I can; her decision on whether or not to come after me is all on that letter." Gyako nodded, a tear coming to his eye.

"I'll miss you Scout!"

"I'll miss you guys more! Bye!" He jumped out of the window, snapping open his glider mid-fall, and took off to the north.

_'I'm gonna do it, Kaito; I'll be the best Avatar that's ever existed!'_

* * *

**Notice how it says 'Book 1' at the beginning? That should be a nice hint as to how long this is (hopefully) going to be. I've got the plots set out, so I'm gonna start doing little hints here and there as to what the future will bring for Scout.**

**I'm also going to start the first several chapters as back-stories for the crew, as well as how they meet Scout and join him. There might be some filler chapters in between, but I'm doing my best to keep things straight.**

**A.N. Time!:**

**(1): Here, I'm just trying to emphasize how many times Scout has to go through this...**

**(2): ...I dunno... just trying to come up with some sort of insult for air-benders...**

**(3): Guess who?! You're all gonna shit yourselves when you figure it out!**

**(4): Scout is a good drawer; it's practically canon for fuck's sake!**

**(5): Just some random OC I made up on the spot. He's gonna have little to no consequence to the outcome of the story. Forget about him completely.**

**Any guesses folks? Review anything that you think is possible, or P.M. me if you don't want others to know (meanies...). I've already given a hint for who, you just have to find it. I'll tell you when somebody got it right, but not WHO did... *snickers evilly***

**MADJesters1: I hope I'm living up to your expectations so far. Any comments, questions, concerns, or tips will be greatly appreciated.**

**Until next time!**

**~_Kage Musha_**


	2. Book 1, Chapter 2: Doctor and Apprentice

**And, here is the beginning of Chapter 2.**

**Basically, whenever a member(s) meets the team for the first time, I'm going to give a backstory on their life beforehand. It will give some insight into the character themselves, which is what I'm trying to focus my story around before I get into the main plot.**

**...no one even gave a guess at the woman in white... I'm deeply disappointed in you, readers!**

**Story and character ideas are credited to MADJesters1_._**

* * *

_Book 1: Pain_

_..._

_Chapter 2: The Doctor and the Student_

_..._

_..._

Friedrich was never an ordinary child. Everyone could tell that, especially with his... _eccentric_... mother.

Honestly, the woman had a screw loose, but, with her being the most powerful water-bender in the tribe, no one dared say it aloud. Friedrich, unfortunately, had the mind of his mother, and no one was overjoyed by it...

...least of all, his father.

Friedrich never went outside to play, instead choosing to stay in his room and read books. Not very unusual in itself, except he would read books on... _interesting _topics.

_The Human Body_

_Theories on the Branches of Bending_ (1)

_Medieval Torture_

_Blood, and All Its Wonderful Qualities_

The list would go on and on, each subject becoming less childish and more sadistic. Not that his mother had any problems with it; she encouraged it. So, when Friedrich turned seven, prompting his mother to begin his water-bending training, most of the fellow tribesmen started the habit of locking their doors at night. It wouldn't do much against her...

...but a small amount of comfort can go a long way in trying to get a good night's sleep

...

...

"Mommy?" Friedrich asked hesitantly. "What are you doing to that penguin-otter?" Remira gasped in shock, and, acting on a reflex, locked up her son's limbs so that he could not escape. Once she realized who it was, she gasped.

"Fried! Oh, I never meant to do that to you!" She quickly released her hold on him, and he collapsed to the ground. She rushed over and began to check on him.

"Mommy! What was that?" She hesitated in telling him; not because she thought he would fear her, but that he would tell someone her secret. That would not do.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked in a mock-conspiratory tone. He nodded excitedly, a curious gleam in his eyes. "Do you remember the forbidden water-bending art you read about in your books?" He thought for a moment before his eyes widened in realization.

"Blood-ben-" Remira quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, due to him shouting the answer out loud.

"Yes; blood-bending," she assured him. She removed her hand after making sure he wouldn't start yelling again; it wouldn't do to have the tribesmen finding her here like this. "That's what mommy can do; mommy is a blood-bender."

"Can I blood-bend?" he asked innocently. She seemed shocked at his bluntness, but overjoyed he wished to follow in her footsteps.

"I will train you, Fried. _If_, you promise to never tell **anyone **about what mommy can do."

"I can't tell anyone?"

"No."

"Not even Papa?" She paused.

"Papa... Papa knows, but he doesn't like me doing it..."

"Why not?! It seems really interesting to know how to blood-bend! And, there are many different life-saving techniques that can be-" Remira silenced him, once again, when his voice started getting louder.

"I know it can save lives, sweetie. But, other people fear the power blood-bending gives me. I could freeze up the joints of all of our friends and family with a twitch of my finger; I could cause an army to fall upon each other's swords with a wave of my hand; I could make a person's heart **stop **in the blink of an eye." With each example, Friedrich's eyes grew wider and wider as he realized the implications of her power.

"So, people fear you because they can't control you..." he summarized. She nodded, slightly impressed by his intelligence from this young age.

"Papa also fears me, but he loves me more. That's why he hasn't given me up to the authorities yet..."

"You say 'Yet'. Why 'Yet'?" Again, he shocks her with his knowledge.

"Because..." she swallowed. She finished in a whisper, "...I promised him I would never teach you." Friedrich's eyes narrowed.

"And yet, you are willing to break that promise," he accused. She straightened up, and narrowed her eyes right back at him.

"_I _believe that it should be the student's decision, not the teacher's. Do you not want to blood-bend anymore?" she asked, tauntingly.

"Of course I still want to learn, but-"

"No 'buts'! You want to learn, then you will listen and obey me, do you understand?" He slumped in defeat.

"Yes, mother. I understand."

* * *

_(Two years later... Friedrich: 9)_

"We have reason to believe..."

"Mommy! No, please! Let her go!"

"...that Remira of the Southern Water Tribe..."

"She's done nothing wrong! Why are you doing this?!"

"...is a practitioner of one of the darkest kinds of bending: _blood-bending_."

"No! You're wrong! Let her go!"

"Friedrich! Come away from here; you don't want to watch this..."

"And, as follows with the laws set by each of the nations, Remira will be jailed for the rest of her existence."

"Papa! Please, we have to save Mommy!"

"...There's nothing we can do."

"May the Spirits protect us."

"May the Spirits protect us..." the crowd echoed. Remira was carted away, who made no sound whatsoever even as her son chased after the wagon until his little legs stumbled and he fell. As he lay face-down in the snow, he began to sob, knowing his mother was gone forever.

"Friedrich..." He sniffled, and slowly raised his head up to look at his father. "...I need you to tell me the truth; did your mother ever train you in the art of blood-bending?" He stared into his father's face, seeing the fear in the elder's eyes. He glared at his father, wishing him nothing but death.

"She kept her promise, _father_. You have nothing to fear from me," he spat in fury. He picked himself off the ground, and stormed off.

* * *

_(Five years later... Friedrich: 14)_

"Son... what have you _done_?!" His body suddenly seized up, his joints moving and out of his control. His body slowly rose into the air, and floated over to his son.

"Oh, father... I'm simply teaching the Southern Water Tribe a lesson. A lesson they won't soon forget..." He began to giggle maniacally. The rush of power he felt whenever he was blood-bending...

...it was addictive.

"But why would you do this?! These are innocent people!" Friedrich turned to his father with a glare of pure hatred.

"MY MOTHER WAS INNOCENT! And they saw no problem in locking her up for the rest of her life!"

The elder would later swear to have seen Friedrich's irises turn scarlet for a split second.

"...she would never have wanted this."

"And what would _you _know about what Mother would have wanted?! You never loved her, you feared her! And you are afraid of me as well!"

"Son... I'm not afraid _of _you; I'm afraid _for _you! If you had told me the truth that day, they would have killed you and your mother instantly... and I would have lost the last important thing in my life..." Friedrich froze, shocked at his father. He released his hold, and his father collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, god no..."

And with that, the ecstasy he felt was gone.

"You need to leave the village." He looked up at his father, stunned at the statement. "They will do everything they can to end you, now that you've gone and done this. Nothing will stop them, and I can't lose my son as well." Friedrich's eyes teared up.

"Father...

"Take these..." He filled a bag with some food and money. "...and go to the dock and take our canoe. If you use your water-bending instead of oars, you can reach the southernmost point of the Earth Kingdom by noon tomorrow. Lay low for a year before you can go back into crowded cities, but don't _ever_ go into Republic City; the police there will jail you the moment they see your 'Wanted' poster." Friedrich nodded, committing all the information to memory. He took the bag from his father, and slowly walked to the doorway. Once there, he stopped and looked back at his father.

"I'm sorry... for what I did tonight... I just hope that, one day, you will think better of me..." He quickly walked out the door, and ran to the docks to escape.

His father stood at the doorway and watched him.

_'I'm just sorry that you had to go through this at such a young age, Friedrich..." _He walked back into his house, and waited for the screams of his neighbors and friends to cease(2).

* * *

_(Eight months later...)_

_'Okay... I've managed to alter my facial bones enough, so that I am similar, but different, to the face I had _that _night... and, with the plan I've set up on my way here, I should be able to make it inside the city without suspicion. Now, I just need Cobal's help...'_

Friedrich turned to the polar bear-dog sitting next to him.

"Alright Cobal, you remember what we practiced, yes?"

Cobal whined softly, and nuzzled Friedrich's hand.

"I know, I know... you are afraid of hurting me. But, we've practiced, remember? You'll know when enough is enough."

Cobal snorted, and turned his head away.

"Cobal... we don't have time for this! The patrol is going to be here in five minutes, and you need to have me looking the part long before then if this is going to work!"

Cobal barked back at him.

"Agh! Don't bring that up! We swore to never speak of it again! _Ever_!"

Cobal sighed.

"Look, I once told you, 'Help!' would be the safe-word, remember? That will be your cue to stop and run, okay?"

Cobal stared at Friedrich for a moment, before dipping his head down and bringing it back up.

"Good! We are ready!" He turned somber for a moment. "...I am going to miss you, my friend..."

Cobal nuzzled him in the side.

"Well, maybe I can come out to see you every once in a while... on the sly, of course."

Cobal sneezed at him. Friedrich usually took that to mean, _"Of course!"_(3).

"Alright, the patrol will be here in two and a half minutes, and we'll start at two. Are you ready?"

Cobal sneezed again.

"Good." A thought occurred to him a moment later. "Ah yes!" He turned to his large companion.

"Don't forget to give me a good wallop on the head; for the plan of course!"

...

...

Later, when Friedrich was being flung throughout the icy landscape, teeth and claws cutting open his flesh, he would question the thought process that led him into this situation.

_'Oh, Cobal will know to be gentle!... enough...'_

_'Cobal's teeth aren't _that _sharp, I won't be in any danger!'_

_'Hmmm, how could I get into the Northern Water Tribe without suspicion?'_

Really, what _had_ been going through his mind?

Nothing sane, obviously...

Oh, look, here comes the Border Patrol, right on schedule. Luckily, Cobal had already smelled them and took off running before they could catch him. As Friedrich lay, bleeding on the ground, members of the Border Patrol surrounded him and quickly began assessing his injuries.

"He's losing a lot of blood..."

"His head has been split right open!"

"Do arms bend _that far_?"

Okay... _maybe _Cobal had taken it a _little _too far...

"We need to get this kid to the hospital, quick!"

...see? Plan was working perfectly.

With his wounds finally taking their toll on him, Friedrich sank into unconsciousness.

...

...

"Ah, it's good to see you are back in the waking world!" Friedrich's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the white walls and bright lights. "You gave us quite a scare when the Border Patrol brought you in half-dead from a polar bear-dog attack..."

"Wh-where am I?" he asked, like he didn't already know the answer. The doctor smiled at him.

"Why, you are in the hospital..."

_'Perfect...' _Friedrich thought to himself.

"...at the highest security prison in the world."

"W-what?!" Friedrich yelled as he sat straight up. He winced in pain at his sudden movements. He glanced around, trying to see any escape routes, when he heard...

...laughter?

The doctor had started _laughing _at him.

"Ahhhahahahaha! I'm sorry, but that joke gets priceless! Bwahahaha!" Friedrich stared at the doctor in bewilderment, before he began to join in as well.

"Yeah, I can see the comedy gold! It must get boring working in the hospital all day long!" After the two had calmed down, the doctor cleared his throat to compose himself.

"Now, you _are _in the hospital, but you are in the Northern Water Tribe, instead of prison." Friedrich breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, glad to know I'm not in prison for... huh." (This is where the acting starts)

"What? What is it?"

"Um, this is going to sound strange, but... do you recognize me?"

"I'm sorry, no. You are a new face to those of us who live here..."

"Damn..."

"Why? What is the problem?"

"I-I... I don't know how I got here..."

"I see... is there anything else that you... can't recall?"

"I don't know what day it is... I don't know where I'm from... I don't know who my parents are! _I don't even know my own name_!" Here, Friedrich burst into (fake)tears, covering his face with his hands so that the doctor wouldn't see him water-bending some tears out.

"My word... The medical chart said you had suffered head trauma, but... no one expected _this _would happen to you!" Fried continued to (fake)sob loudly, even though he was hiding a victorious grin.

The plan was simple;

-Alter his face so no one can match his face to his 'Wanted' poster

-Have Cobal ''attack'' him and make a scene for the guards

-Pretend to have amnesia as a result of the attack

-Make it into the Northern Water Tribe with no one the wiser

And, so far, the plan was a success.

...

...

The doctor quietly closed the door behind him. After a long talk with his patient, the man had fallen asleep due to the pain-killers given to him. And now, he had to report to his superior.

"Well? Is he the one?" The doctor whirled around to see a figure in the darkness, their features hidden in shadow.

"I-I believe so. My 'joke' gave the intended reaction for all patients with amnesia, but I noticed him searching for an escape route almost instantly. Along with that, the bones in his face seem to be disturbed. I'm not quite sure whether it was from the polar bear-dog attack, or..."

"Or if he did it to himself."

"Correct."

"...Is it possible for a-"

"It has never been tested before; it may very well be, but, again, he might not have done it to himself..."

"I see... I will report this to _her_, and we will see what she wants to do with the boy, if he is who we want..."

"I understand. I will return to my rounds now." The doctor began to walk away.

"One more thing..." He turned around to see that the figure had disappeared. "...don't interrupt me again, _mi amigo_(4)."

He was trembling for the rest of the night.

* * *

_(Five years later... Friedrich: 20, Ms. Pauling: 7)_

...

...

Friedrich had been quite successful since his arrival in the Northern Water Tribe. With the 'discovery' of his water-bending abilities, Friedrich had 'trained' himself until he reached his actual level, then trained some more. He has proven himself as a skilled fighter,gaining him the attention of the chief and council(5). On top of that, he had risen through the ranks as one of the greatest healers since the Hundred-Years War. They called him 'The Medic', which seemed to have become his official name in the tribe. His life had been running smoothly since _that _night, and he couldn't be happier.

"Ugh... it's _that _child again..."

"Her father was a monster, I heard..."

"And she's an orphan too, so what happened to her mother?"

"Lost her mind, they say."

"Really? And the child is sane herself?"

Friedrich noticed the whispers and murmurs , and followed the line of sight of the gossipers to see a young girl, no older than seven. She was walking through the crowds, head bowed and trying to stay unnoticeable. Of course, those that saw her would glare at her or shy away in fear.

Friedrich, though, just couldn't help but see himself walking through the crowds. Ever since the day his mother was taken away, those were the same looks he had been given.

He hated it. And he hated what they were doing to this child.

...

...

Evelyn kept moving, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Ever since her father had been executed, she had been put in the orphanage and was being tormented by her fellow orphans. This lead her to stay out as much as possible, and she would head to the library to read, and read, and read. The librarian was kind to her, always saying hello and allowing her to bring the books back to the orphanage (provided she takes excellent care of them).

No one else had the same common courtesy.

She was talked about as she walked through the streets, and she had been on the receiving end of too many glares for a young child to bear. They never even tried to get to know her, and condemned her for her father's actions and her mother's infamy. She lived her life alone, and she had no chance to change it.

"Hello there." She froze, as an older man (at least, the person was wearing a man's shoe) had just walked in front of her and greeted her.

This had never happened before.

She looked up slowly, and saw the famous 'Medic' standing in front of her.

"H-h-hello, sir..." she replied. Around them, the crowds had frozen in shock at the exchange. He looked down at the books she was bringing back to the library, and grinned.

"Ah, I see you are interested in medicine and the human body?" He left the statement as a question, obviously wanting her to answer.

"Y-yes sir; I w-want t-to learn h-how to heal people, like you do." She felt a little more at ease the more she talked with him.

"Like me? I'm not that big of a deal, am I?"

"Of course you are! Everyone says you are the greatest healer since Master Katara(6) herself!"

"Oh really? And you want to be like that, do you?"

"Yes I do! I want to be a respected healer of the Northern Water Tribe!" She felt the color drain from her face. How did he get her to reveal her greatest dream within two minutes of conversation?

She looked over his shoulder, and flinched when she saw one of the shopkeepers striding towards her with a broom. This _specific _man would never allow her in his store, and would bring his broom out on occasion just to threaten her with it.

...

...

Friedrich was happy he stopped to talk with this girl; she wanted to be like him someday, if not greater. Honestly, there's nothing more fulfilling knowing you've set the bar for other people to work towards.

She suddenly looked over his shoulder and flinched, as he heard footsteps marching towards him. Deciding to let this play out, he let whoever was walking push past him and go towards the girl.

"Go on and scram! You have no right talking to Mr. Medic like that!" As he raised the broom he held in his hand, Friedrich finally acted; he bended the snow covering the ground below them into rising up and freezing around the man's falling hand. The girl flinched in fear, and remained that way until she realized that the expected blow never came. As she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see the broom was frozen in place only inches from her head. The man was struggling to free his arm, and began to yell at her.

"What did you do, you little freak?! Are you a water-bender, or are you _more _like your father?!"

"That would be my fault, I'm afraid." Eyes turned to Friedrich, who felt it was time to end this stupidity.

"Mr. Medic! I'm terribly sorry this... _child_ disturbed you! Please, accept our apologies!" Friedrich raised an eyebrow, and pulled a face.

"I... see... may I ask what is wrong with the girl? She seems perfectly normal to me in every conceivable way." The shopkeeper seemed surprised.

"You mean you don't know? Well, I understand you wouldn't know about her mother, but her father... Did you hear about the recent massacres in the northern-most Earth villages?" Medic nodded. "_Her father _did that, with _blood-bending_." He began to nod sagely, almost like he was imparting great knowledge upon Friedrich. Friedrich walked up to the man.

"I understand." A large icicle formed in his hand, which was stabbed into the man's foot, eliciting shocked responses from the surrounding crowd and a cry of pain from the man himself. "I understand _completely_."

Turning to the crowd around him, he started to speak, "You all seem to think that the knowledge of blood-bending can be imparted upon a child simply because it's her father! Well, let me tell you something: blood-bending is _taught_, not known from birth! She is too young to have any training in _any _forms of water-bending! You are mistreating her in your pathetic _ignorance_!" As the man continued to sob in pain, Friedrich crouched down and began to whisper in his ear. "And if I _ever_ see you try to hit a child with anything ever again, that icicle is going to gohigher up, and you will remain childless for the rest of your life."

The shopkeeper could only nod amid his tears, and Friedrich yanked the icicle out of his foot unkindly.

"Go find yourself a doctor who gives enough of a shit to heal you."

* * *

_(11 years later... Medic: 31, Evelyn: 18)_

...

...

Evelyn had been living with him ever since as an apprentice and a daughter (not legally, but their relationship had long since passed 'student-teacher'). She had excelled in her water-bending, capable of beating him every few rounds or so. Unfortunately, her healing training hadn't gone as smoothly. She had the skill, and she knew what to do, she just... couldn't. The only hope was that, eventually, her training in control would unlock the talent and allow her to heal wounds.

Until then, she would continue to accidentally freeze the offending injury(7).

Alongside training Evelyn, he had been elected as the head of the Medical Branch in the tribe; a great honor, reserved for the healer to have the most skill and knowledge.

Today, in fact, was the monthly meeting, where the heads of the different branches would give a report on the successes and difficulties within the branches. He was currently walking up the many stairs of ice to the meeting hall, something that was always a cause of annoyance.

He made it to the top, and was about to enter, when two spears crossed in front of his path.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the other council members have requested that you stay out for the moment; you will be allowed in later." Friedrich's eyes narrowed.

"I... see. If you don't mind, I'll take a walk while I wait." The guards nodded, not seeing anything suspicious, and Friedrich headed down a lone corridor. As he approached a wall, he checked to make sure no one was watching before silently making a path through the ice. As he walked forward, the ice closed up behind him, leaving no evidence he had been there.

He kept walking through, making sure no one heard him, until the ice slowly lightened to show acting like a window, the council chamber he was forbidden to enter.

Once he figured the ice was thick enough to listen in, while not giving away his position, he molded a cup out of the ice at his feet, and placed it on the ice, allowing him to listen as though he was in the room(8).

"...you sure it's him?" Chief Malakai said.

"I'm positive, sir. The pictures of what he would look like today, compared to his face now, are uncannily alike. It's either the same person, or a twin; either way, he _must _be brought in for questioning."

That damn shopkeeper from when he first met Evelyn had also been elected onto the council, representing the mercantile district. In the meetings, he would do everything he could to try and discredit Friedrich in some way. Outside of meetings, though, he'd spend all his time at least a mile radius away from Friedrich; first one in, first one out._  
_

"I see... but, Friedrich says he has no memory of his past life..." Malakai asserted.

"Well, the doctor who took care of Medic made notes explaining that the reactions he had were not expected from an amnesia patient. He may very well have _lied _about having amnesia." Friedrich barely kept himself from snarling aloud. That _damn shopkeeper _was going to ruin _everything_!

"...*sigh* very well. I will not pass judgement on him yet, but he will be brought in for questioning. If he is the one who had massacred the village in the Southern Tribe, he will have to be-" Friedrich couldn't listen anymore. Pulling the cup away, he quickly made a tunnel of ice that led underground straight to his house.

Hopefully, he'd get there before they did.

...

...

"EVELYN!" Evelyn yelped as the yell broke her concentration; the small amount of water she was practicing control with splashed onto the ground.

"Medic? What's wrong?"

"I-I have decided!" he said hesitantly. She raised an eyebrow.

"Decided... what?"

"You and I are going on a trip around the world!"

"...why would we do that?"

"Oh, there are many different things you can learn in other cultures!" he explained as he began packing up all his equipment. "Who knows? You may come upon a breakthrough while we travel!" She nodded slowly, still not seeing any logic in this.

"And... when would we return?"

"Oh just until the council rescinds their judgement on m- I mean! I don't know, but we're leaving for a while! Pack up everything you think you would need, and personal belongings!"

She sighed as she complied with his orders.

* * *

"...We're lost."

"No we are not!"

"Face it Medic, we're going around in circles."

"How would you know? You aren't even looking at the map!" In response, Evelyn pointed at a tree that had a star shape cut into it.

"I made that about the fifth time we came through here, and added one more for each time we circled through again."

"There's only one on it though..." Evelyn led him around to the other side of the tree, to reveal nine more star shapes cut into it. "...oh."

"Yes, '_Oh_... I seem to have gotten us lost!'"

"Well, we can go that way...?"

"No; we've been that way at least three separate times."

"Maybe follow the river?"

"No, that led to a waterfall."

"Or, maybe try to climb up the trees to get a vantage point?"

"N-... that is the first good idea I've heard you say since we walked into this god-forsaken forest."

"You hurt me with your words!" Friedrich(9) sniffed.

"Don't care, now get climbing."

"B- _I'm _the one who came up with the idea!"

"Which means you should have the right to implement it. Go." Friedrich grumbled loudly, and started up a very tall tree. Evelyn, exhausted from all the walking, chose a smaller tree with some nice shade, and sat against it. She impassively watched as Friedrich tried and tried to get more than a few feet off the ground, failing miserably each time. She scoffed.

"He's not going to get very far up the tree..."

"Seems that way to me!"

"You think he would try and use his water-bending to, I don't know, make icicles to help him get a grip!"

"Or maybe just make stairs all the way to the top using ice pedestals..."

"That could work..."

Evelyn froze. She turned her head to see a teenage boy, clad in orange and yellow, just sitting there... right next to her.

Her warrior training kicking in, she quickly stood up and, using water from the pouch every water-bender carries, quickly froze the boy's torso to the tree behind him.

"HEY! What was that for?!" the boy yelled.

"Medic! Get over here!" Friedrich fell, once again, from the tree, startled by her sudden yell.

"What is it?! Can't you see that I'm-" he stopped talking as soon as he saw her captive. "Evelyn... who is this?"

"I don't know; I was just sitting here, and he came out of nowhere!"

"Actually, I was in the tree above you. You sat down, so I decided to say hi."

"Why?"

"I dunno... I'm just outgoing like that!" Friedrich's eyes narrowed.

"You're lying." The boy glared at him.

"No I'm not! I wanted to say hi, so I did!"

"That part, you _are _telling the truth; the rest is a lie. Why did you approach us?"

"I told you already: I was just sitting in the tree-"

"Lie."

"-I saw you two come through this little area for the first time-"

"Lie."

"-and I wanted to say hi and maybe show you the way out!"

"...okay, that last bit was true. But how would you get us out of here?!"

"Duh. There's a town literally five minutes south of here."

...

Friedrich swallowed nervously, as Evelyn started glaring at him.

"This town..." she started. "...it wouldn't happen to be Oshibana Town, would it?"

"Um, I think it is... can't remember..."

*BAM!*

"YOU _IDIOT_!" Evelyn cried, as she punched Friedrich in the head. "WE'VE BEEN _FIVE MINUTES _AWAY FROM OUR DESTINATION THIS ENTIRE TIME?!"

"I had the map! It never said anything about-"

"SCREW YOUR DAMN MAP!" she yelled, as she took said map and ripped it into tiny shreds. Her captive just sat there, watching, and a blush started to grow on his face as he stared at her.

_'Wow... I think I'm in love...'_(10)

...

...

_(Five minutes later... Friedrich: Five minutes older, Evelyn: Ditto, Scout: Ditto 2x)_

"Well, now that we made it out of that godforsaken forest, thank you for your help by the way..." "No problem!" "...we'll be going now. Goodbye." Evelyn started walking into the town, searching for a hotel to stay the night. Friedrich, still standing next to Scout, nodded politely to the boy, and started after her.

"Um... quick question!" Friedrich turned back, and saw the boy wringing his hands nervously as his eyes darted around. "Are you, by any chance, affiliated with those guys in the grey armor?" he asked, pointing behind Friedrich. Friedrich followed his finger, and saw a group of soldiers (dressed in grey armor, obviously) walking around and glaring at the normal village-folk.

"I have never seen anyone wearing that armor in my life." Scout breathed a sigh of relief._  
_

"Okay, good. Listen, can I talk to you later? In private?" Friedrich's eyebrow went up.

"Why?"

"I need your help."

...

...

"Okay, let me get this straight..." Evelyn started, as she paced the hotel room. Friedrich had located her only a few minutes after the boy (who they discovered was named Scout)'s request, and, unable to think of a better alternative, invited him in for their 'talk'.

"...you're the Avatar."

"Yes."

"And, you need our help in water-bending."

"Yes."

"But those guys in the grey are after you, for some reason."

"Yes."

"So... why should we?" Scout's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding?! You'd pass up the opportunity to train _The _Avatar?! You could be as famous as Toph, or Katara, or anybody who's ever helped my past lives!" Evelyn quirked an eyebrow.

"Seriously? You think we're shallow enough to do want fame?" Scout grimaced.

"Well... I hoped it would help..."

"How do we know you're _really _the Avatar? You could be lying."

"He isn't lying." Both teenagers turned to Friedrich. "This entire time, he's been telling the truth; every single bit of it." Scout breathed a sigh of relief.

"See? You believe me."

"So... these guys in the grey armor are after the Avatar..."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. All three heads swiveled to stare at it cautiously.

"Who's there?" Friedrich called out.

"Room Service," came a muffled reply. Friedrich's eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled out his water pouch. Evelyn followed suit, and Scout armed himself with his Bo Staff(11). There was silence for a few seconds, before the door was knocked down by a well-placed kick. Four men in armor walked inside and scanned the room, eyes focusing on Scout when they saw him.

"You will come with us, Avatar. Will it be quietly? Or will we have to use force?" the apparent leader demanded. In response, Scout quickly slashed his staff horizontally, sending out a gust of air which knocked the four men out into the hall. Friedrich sent a blast of water into the window of the room, giving them a route outside.

"Out the window! Now!" Friedrich yelled. Scout went first, jumping out before cushioning his fall with his air-bending. He looked back up to see Evelyn reconsidering her actions.

"Don't worry! I'll soften the fall!" Scout called to her. She nodded, before taking a running start and leaping out. True to his word, Scout used air currents to lower her to the ground safely. Scout was about to give Friedrich the same courtesy, but two enemies appeared out of a dark alley-way. One pulled out a baton, which began to spark wildly, while the other got into a stance _very _familiar to Evelyn.

"That guy's a chi-blocker! Don't let him hit you!" she cried, before the four went on the attack. Scout engaged the baton-wielder, his staff preventing a current from reaching him, while Evelyn, surprisingly, got into the same stance as the chi-blocker. The two began to match each other, blow for blow, not allowing one to land a solid hit on the other.

She went for a jab to his abdomen, which he smacked away before chopping at her neck with his other hand. Her head rolled to dodge the punch before, rather fluidly, transitioned into water-bending. Her arms followed the same path as her neck, making a circle in the air, water following behind, before sending it straight into the chest of her opponent. He flew back and hit the wall hard, sending him to the ground before Evelyn quickly chopped his neck and other specific areas. He became paralyzed, unable to move as she stared at him.

"H-how are you a water-bender as well as a chi-blocker? It doesn't make sense!"

"Funny story..." she began. "...when you're the apprentice of The Medic of the Northern Water Tribe, you pick up some interesting things about the human body; including chi and pressure points all over the body. Once I learned that, it was simple to incorporate chi-blocking into my normal water-bending style."

With that, she knocked him out with a quick blow to the temple.

...

...

Scout quickly knocked away the baton, before ducking another one aimed at his head. His staff whirled through the air as he waited for another opening to attack, He didn't have to wait long, as he blocked several quick strikes in succession to his torso. He thrusted at the man's skull, but overshot it and was left vulnerable. His opponent quickly capitalized on it and he soon fell to the ground, smoking from being electrocuted by a quick strike to his extended arm.

"S-shit..." Scout breathed, as he lay on the earth in pain.

"Now then, Avatar... Have a nice nap." A baton went sailing into Scout's face, and the world went black.

...

...

Friedrich had sped out of the room the moment he saw Evelyn and Scout engage their opponents. Of course, by the time he made it where they originally were, he saw that their fights had led them into different parts of the town.

"Evelyn! Scout! Where are you?!" he called.

"Medic! I'm over here!" He turned around to see Evelyn running towards him from the southern end of the town.

"Evelyn! Do you know where Scout's at?" he asked worriedly. She shook her head.

"I had started out with the chi-blocker, but then two more guys showed up, and they pushed me to the south. Scout was still here when I lost sight of him... I don't know where he is." Friedrich sighed.

"Alright... I think I've got a plan to find him, but I'll need a lot of water for it to work effectively." Evelyn nodded. Friedrich closed his eyes and concentrated. Water began rising up from the earth, the trees, and the grass, pooling into an orb above his head. Once he had enough, his eyes snapped open and, with a few quick hand movements, dispersed the water across town as a thick fog. Evelyn's eyes widened in realization (even though no one could actually see), and she began to help the dispersement. Eventually, Oshibana Town was completely covered in a fog, stretching from border to border of the town. Friedrich's head suddenly snapped up, and he turned to the east.

"There's a group of people coming in from the east border!" he alerted.

"I'll handle it! Make sure you locate Scout!" Evelyn yelled before she took off. Friedrich returned to his task as she left, sensing the water droplets in the air for any disturbances. There were multiple signatures coming from all over town, most likely villagers who were hurrying home in the fog. He kept searching, trying to find-

There!

Someone was running to the northern gates, with another person strapped to their back! And since there wasn't any signatures of any kind of battle...

Friedrich began running to the northern gate while filling up his pouch with excess water. In an effort to speed up his journey, he bent ice into slopes he could skate over houses and other obstacles he would otherwise run around.

Soon, he was able to spot his target, who was running over rooftops while carrying something on his back. Friedrich quickly set up a wall of ice to block his target's path, but he simply leaped over it like it was nothing. Friedrich, following the man's path, tried to blast him with tendrils of water, but every single one was dodged.

"Dammit!" Friedrich swore under his breath. If this kept up, Scout would be past saving in only a few minutes.

He leapt across a gap between buildings, his shadow made from the moonlight catching his eye as it flew across the street below.

_'The moon...'_ he thought to himself. He spared a moment to glance up at the sky, trying to determine what stage it was in. _'It seems to be nearly full, but not perfectly... I can still use it!' _Without a moment to spare, he quickly took command of the kidnapper. The man froze, utterly unable to move a single joint in his body. Friedrich slowed down, trying to catch his breath from the running, and casually walked over to the struggling man. As he got closer, he made the man put Scout on the ground and back away form the boy.

"Y-you! What are you-... what are you doing to me?!" the stranger yelled frantically. Friedrich glared at him.

"I spent my entire time in the Northern Water Tribe upholding the promise I made to myself; I would never do this again. You, on the other hand, just ruined all my work!" His hand clawed at his face. "Even now... the urges are coming back... telling me to subjugate the world..."

"B-blood-bender..." the man whispered in shock.

"That's right~!" Friedrich said in a sing-song tone. "I'm a blood-bender~! And, as you now know my secret..." His hand clenched into a fist. The man made a choking sound as blood spurted out of his mouth. Friedrich released the body, and the man's corpse fell to the ground.

He took several breaths, trying to calm himself down.

All of his work... trying to destroy the urges... down the drain in _seconds_.

His only option was to start at square one.

...

...

Evelyn met up with Friedrich over at the south entrance to the village. He was carrying an unconscious Scout on his back, and looked a little worse for wear.

"The guy didn't give you _that _much of a problem, did he?"

"The guy made me chase him over rooftops for a long time, Evelyn. It was a problem, but nothing I couldn't solve." She nodded, satisfied with his answer. She glanced at Scout's form in the darkness.

"We're travelling with him from now on, aren't we?"

"Did you happen to leave any of the soldiers alive?"

"_I _didn't, but those four guys in the hotel were gone when I went back. Whoever controls them is going to learn of us, and he will try to kill us." Friedrich nodded.

"My thoughts exactly."

"So, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Evelyn." Friedrich complimented as he walked off into the forest. Evelyn followed suit, and the group of three had soon vanished from Oshibana Town.

* * *

"And you are certain it is the same one?"

"Positive, sir. He had the same physical characteristics of the boy that... Squadron 5... was sent to retrieve. And you remember what the village looked like after we sent in backup..."

"I do. Now, who are the other two that were travelling with him?"

"One of them has been identified as 'The Medic' of the Northern Water Tribe. The man is hailed as a water-bending prodigy; a second coming of Master Katara, as they say. The woman was his apprentice. She has skill in water-bending, but lacks in her healing abilities."

"I see... You may go." The soldier saluted before promptly marching out of the room.

"Daddy, when will _I _get to play?" a female voice asked, almost whining.

"Soon, Olivia. You still haven't defeated your master, have you?" A sigh escaped lips.

"No, Daddy... I haven't. But I will soon!

I will kill him, and then I will bring you the Avatar!"

_End of Chapter_

* * *

**Oh my GOD this took forever! I want to make the chapters longer, because longer chapters means more reading. And who doesn't LOVE reading Fanfiction?! But, at the same time, I can't finish it on time! I make you wait and it's so _annoying _when you people ask me 'When's the next chapter coming out?', and I'm like, 'Hold your horses, shit-biscuits!', and then you're like-**

**Shit. Sorry, more rants.**

**A.N. Time!:**

**(1): That's what I think the 'special' bending is called: Branch Bending. Think of it like this; a fire-bender can bend fire (duh), but he can also bend lightning or combustion with the proper skill and/or training. However, only fire-benders can do this. It's not like a water-bender can suddenly shoot fire from their forehead. So, lightning bending could be called a branch off of the main path of Fire.**

**(2): Not gonna go into detail on what Friedrich did. Let's just remain blissfully oblivious to the horrors... Also, this entire section is supposed to be Friedrich's epiphany that he had a _serious _problem with the blood-bending. So he makes an important decision here to change himself, which is why he released his father, but continued to " " the villagers. After this night, he does his best to _never _blood-bend people. Of course... there are situations that require it...**

**(3): _PLEASE _tell me someone gets the reference!**

**(4): Major hint as to who the shadowy figure could be!**

**(5): I assumed that there is a council of some sort that rules over the tribe. If this is actually canon, then whoopdie-fucking-do.**

**(6): Katara became a Master of water-bending. It's practically canon.**

**(7): Credit to MADJesters1! You know what this is from... *wink-wink***

**(8): The 'listen-in-on-a-private-conversation-by-holding-a-cup-against-a-wall-to-the-room-so-that-sound-travels-through-the-wall', shtick.**

**(9): I'm gonna refer to Friedrich as Medic when it's 3rd-person-limited from someone else's point of view. Remember, Friedrich remembers _everything_, but he has to act like he remembers _nothing_, not even his own name. 'The Medic' was originally a title given to him, but he adopted it as his 'name', since it looks and sounds relatively similar.**

**(10): I'm really against ScoutxPauling in this. That pairing just never really seemed to work for me... If you guys _do _want a pairing, let me know. I'm open to MF and MM, but not FF. This story just doesn't have enough main female roles for that to work properly...**

**(11):  wp-content/uploads/wind-staff. jpg (no spaces). I'm giving Scout an actual Bo Staff, instead of his glider. Both act like a conduit for air-bending, but the Glider Staff allows him to glide (obviously), while the Bo Staff is used for physical attacks. I just felt that the Glider Staff would be to fragile to hit someone with, and (as we all know) Scout _loves _to hit people with his bat in TF2!**  


**Please review, people! It's not very enjoyable when I look, and I look, and I look, but there's no one commenting on my story! Tell me what you thought about the battle scene! Tell me what you think about my characters! Tell me what you think about my writing!**

**TELL ME!**

**~_Kage Musha_**


	3. Book 1, Chapter 3: The Conditions

**No new characters this chapter. It'll be just Friedrich, Evelyn, and Scout.**

**WHAT CRAZY SHENANIGANS WILL THESE THREE GET INTO TODAY?!**

* * *

**As always, thank you to MADJesters1 for your support. **

* * *

_Book 1: Pain_

_..._

_Chapter 3: The Conditions_

_..._

_.._

_._

Scout had woken up about a day after the attack, his body on fire and his head stinging.

"Ugh... my head's splitting..." he mumbled. Evelyn's face suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

"Medic! He's waking up!" Medic's face joined hers.

"Ah! You are feeling better?" Scout was barely able to shake his head.

"I-, that guy zapped the hell out of me... I ain't doin' too good right now."

"Well, they used a high amount of voltage on you. I'm surprised you are even conscious right now; you should be asleep for a few more days..." Medic frowned in concentration. "Does your Avatar spirit give you protection? Or maybe it's because you are an air-bender...(1)"

"Medic," Evelyn sighed. "We are not here to experiment on the Avatar, you know." Medic chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, I'm sorry my dear. Old habits, you know?"

"Wait, what are you guys doing here? I thought you didn't want to help me..."

"Oh, we don't!" Medic answered brightly. "But our... _affiliation_... with you was given to your hunter; there's no doubt we are no longer going to be safe in society any longer. So, we will... tag along... for the time being." Scout frowned.

"I... I see. Do you mind if I go back to sleep? The pain is starting up again, and I'd rather be unconscious for it..." Medic nodded.

"Of course. Once you are fit to travel again, we'll go."

Scout closed his eyes, and slept.

...

...

Evelyn sighed as she stared at Scout.

"Are you sure we won't train him? He really does need our help..." Medic turned to her, befuddled.

"I thought _you _were the one who didn't want to train him!" She scoffed at him.

"That was _before _we were forced into this situation! I didn't want to have to travel with him, but there's nothing we can do to change it now; why don't we just make the best of the situation, and just help him?"

"I won't start training him just to part ways a few days after! He'll find another teacher, and he'll be out of our hair!"

"Don't you get it, Medic?! He will _never _be 'out of our hair'! Our little display last night proved one thing: we are allied with him. It doesn't matter what the details of the relationship are; once they properly recognize you and your skill, they will do _anything _to kill us and prevent him from learning water-bending."

"...fine. I will train him..." Evelyn sighed in relief. "...under one condition. He must prove to me that he has already mastered his air-bending."

"But... how would you know something like that? You have never been to the air temples..."

"Oh, I have my ways..."

...

..

.

Two days later saw Scout running around excitedly, happy to have recovered from the electric batons.

"Jeez, I never thought I'd be so glad to get up in the morning!" he joked. A splash of water hit him in the face, courtesy of Medic.

"FOCUS, Scout; we need to head south, away from Oshibana, so that the soldiers will have a harder time finding us." Scout scoffed.

"You guys worry too much; they won't find us anytime soon!"

"There is nothing wrong with caution, Scout. I'm surprised that you haven't decided the same thing..."

"I don't think it's smart to worry every single day on whether or not they'll find me. I'm not stupid enough to wait for them, I just don't care until they _do _find me." Medic sighed.

"I don't care what you're doing; Evelyn and I are heading south, so join us when you want." He started walking, Evelyn tagging along behind him.

"I hope you realize you're going right back to Oshibana!" Scout called to them a few seconds after they disappeared from view.

"YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTION _SUCKS_, MEDIC!" he heard Evelyn scream.

"Then why don't _you _lead the way, Evelyn?!"

...

...

"How are you guys doing?" Scout asked innocently. His head was quickly frozen in an ice cube by an irate Evelyn.

"Don't. Say. A. Word." she threatened, glaring daggers at the air-bender. Medic was sitting against a tree, exhausted from Evelyn's constant march through the forest, which ended up leading them in a circle right back to Scout.

Scout head-butted a nearby tree, effectively breaking the ice on his head. He sauntered over to Medic, a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

"Do you want my help?" Medic seemed unwilling, but eventually broke.

"Please... get us out of the accursed forest..." he mumbled. Scout held a hand up to his ear.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you~," Scout sang. Medic glared at the boy.

"Do you want a water-bending teacher, or not?"

"LET'S GET A MOVE ON, PEOPLE!" Scout yelled frantically. Medic smirked to himself, which was mirrored by Evelyn.

_'Yep, still got it.'_

...

..

.

"So, are you willing to train me, Medic?" Scout asked as they walked through the forest.

"I am, but under conditions." Scout's shoulders slumped.

"What do you want?" he asked dejectedly.

"Proof." Scout's head shot up, confusion written all over his face.

"Proof? What do you want me to prove to you?" Medic smirked.

"I want proof that you've mastered air-bending."

"How the hell am I supposed to prove that to you?!"

"I hope that I'm famous enough that even _you _have heard of me..."

"Well, yeah! People say you're the second coming of Master Katara!"

"Of course they do; I'm the youngest master water-bender in the past 150 years." Scout's eyes widened.

"So, what you're saying is-"

"Yes, I am challenging you to a bending duel. Defeat me with nothing but your bending skills, and I will train you."

...

...

Friedrich stood in his stance, next to a convenient lake they found the day after his challenge to Scout. Scout mirrored him, at a dueling length away from him, except in his air-bending stance. Evelyn was off on the side, sitting against a tree with nice shade so that she could watch over the match.

Friedrich raised a finger.

"I said, nothing but your bending skills." Scout's shoulders slumped.

"So, then..."

"Remove your staves, please." Scout sighed, and placed his staves next to Evelyn. He quickly returned to his place, and got back into his stance.

And they waited...

...

Scout struck first, sending out two quick air blasts. Medic simply twisted out of the way with little effort. Somehow, Scout seemed to get slightly pissed off, and rushed forward before leaping into the air and sending another blast of air out from a kick. Medic dodged once more, seemingly refusing to bend water.

Scout saw red, and tried to punch Medic in the face, but his fist was easily grabbed. Scout's anger turned into shock, and Medic finally struck.

Keeping a tight hold on the air-bender's hand, Medic dealt a series of punches using Scout's own fist against him.

"I believe this is the part where someone is supposed to ask..." Medic started calmly, and he continued to beat up Scout. "...'Why are you hitting yourself?'" He punched Scout one last time, sending the boy flying several feet away from the force of the impact. Scout slowly picked himself up, and spat out a tooth.

"That was low, bastard..." Scout growled. Medic simply shrugged.

"I thought I said we were testing your bending skills... why would you try to physically attack me?" Scout snarled, before blasting Medic in the chest with a gust of air. Medic, however, was barely fazed. "Is that all you can do? No wonder you left the Air Temples..."

"SHUT UP!" Scout roared. He continued to assault Medic with wind, but the man barely moved from his position.

"You lied, you know." Scout threw a ball of air at the water-bender, which was only able to slightly scratch the man.

"You knew how to prove your mastery." A column of air shot Medic into the air, but he landed on the ground gracefully.

"You just haven't, yet."

"I said SHUT UP!" Scout screamed. Medic's calm demeanor was suddenly gone, as his glasses suddenly shattered and he clutched his ears in pain. If Evelyn had looked closely, she would have seen a tiny trickle of blood from between his fingers. Scout, unwilling to look a gift horse in the mouth, went back on the offensive, blasting Medic in the face and chest. The healer went flying into a tree, and sank to the ground with a groan. As he did, an extremely thin layer of ice cracked apart, and shattered. Scout's anger disappeared instantly, and Evelyn gasped in worry.

"Medic!" Both teenagers cried as they rushed to him.

"What did you do to him?!" Evelyn demanded. Scout held his hands up defensively.

"I swear, I have no idea!" She sighed, knowing that he was being honest, and quickly set to work. After pulling out the spare first-aid kit she kept with her, she went over all of her teacher's injuries.

"It's not that bad. I think the ice took the brunt of the damage..."

"When did he do that, anyways? I never saw him bend anything..." Evelyn kept her smirk down as she answered him.

"Right when you were setting your staves down. Him and I developed this idea a while ago, where the ice would act like an armor of sorts, with the opponent having no idea why their attacks aren't working."

"Is that why I couldn't get him to move?"

"Mostly. Growing up in the Water Tribes means you need to learn how to keep solid footing." Scout nodded, and Medic's eyes snapped open.

"You! What did you do?!" Medic demanded.

"I have no idea what happened..." Scout replied honestly. Medic studied him for a moment, then sighed in defeat.

"You are telling the truth... but you have not passed my test." Scout's face fell.

"What? Why?! I beat you!"

"You cheated. Whatever you did made me vulnerable and weakened. If you hadn't attacked me then, I would've considered it. But now..." Scout didn't want to hear anymore. He quickly grabbed his Glider, and flew off over the treetops. Evelyn watched him go, then sighed.

"That's not the real reason. Why won't you train him?"

"Tell me, what do you know of the Air Monks?" Evelyn thought for a moment.

"Well... they were masters of air-bending. And, people knew they were the monks because-" she gasped in realization, and Medic nodded.

"He hasn't received his tattoos of mastery, yet. I'm afraid I can't train the Avatar with that in mind; balance must be kept." Evelyn nodded sadly, as she looked back to where Scout disappeared.

...

...

Scout was curled up into a ball underneath a large tree, trying desperately not to cry.

_'I said I'd be the best Avatar that ever existed... and I haven't even mastered my first element... I'm pathetic... Weak...'_

He sighed, as he laid down, spread-eagle, on the forest earth.

"What am I not getting? Master Etsuko told me I haven't discovered the secret, but... I can still bend air! So why should I have to worry about some dumb 'secret'?!"

_"You haven't forgiven yourself..." _Scout's head snapped up, and he saw a figure in between the trees.

"Who are you?!" he called. The person walked behind a tree, and disappeared.

_"You hold your guilt..." _Another figure, this time from behind him.

"What do you want with me?!" Scout cried out. They, too, disappeared between the trees.

_"You feel hatred..." _Scout yelped, a third person standing right in front of him. _"Hatred of the man who destroyed your family..."_

"Of course I do! Who wouldn't hate a person like that?!" The woman (he was sure it was a woman... she also looked like a water-bender...) smiled a sad smile.

_"Even now, you are blind to the truth..."_

"What truth?! Why won't you just tell me?!"

_"You still have much to learn, young Avatar, and no one ever learned anything worthwhile that wasn't discovered on their own." _With that, the woman faded away into nothingness, leaving a very confused and distraught Scout behind.

...

...

"Evelyn... I think something has gone wrong with my hearing..." Medic stated casually to his apprentice.

"How so?"

"Well... for example, you just said either 'How so?', or 'Down low.' I'm assuming it's the first one..." Evelyn grabbed his head and pulled him down so she could look in his ear.

"Your ears seem to have been bleeding... Was it something to do with Scout's attack?"

"I believe so... Or, no I left the house locked up before we left." Evelyn sighed.

"Well, I'm not completely sure what to do here... You never taught me about how to care for damaged hearing."

"Of course I didn't; you haven't learned how to heal with water yet. I'd rather keep both my ears, thank you!" A pause. "Or, were you explaining the difference between Water Tribe clothing, and Air Nation clothing?" Evelyn gave him a look. "Ah, yes. I'll shut up now."

"All I can tell you is to wait. Try to reprieve your eardrums, however. It should help somewhat..." Medic nodded.

"Quite right. Hand me my pair of earmuffs, would you?"

...

...

Scout landed in the makeshift campsite Evelyn and Medic had set up. He snapped his glider shut, and attached it onto his back once more.

"Ah, Scout! I was wondering when you were going to come back!" Medic exclaimed. Scout stared at him, emotionless.

"Are we still travelling together?" Medic's head tilted in confusion.

"Hmmm? Do you not want to?" Scout shrugged.

"You're still my best shot at learning water-bending... but you still won't train me." Medic nodded.

"Again, you must prove your mastery of air-bending to me first. There is a balance that must be kept, which includes mastering each element in order."

"I _know _that! I'm the freaking Avatar; I'm _supposed _to know that!" Scout yelled.

"Yet you still attempted to skip mastering your first element."

"Not my fault, my Master had me practice the basics of water-bending. She believed it was best for me to have somewhat of a head-start once I had mastered air-bending." Medic raised an eyebrow.

"So, you have practiced the 'Tide Flow'?" Scout nodded. "'Whirlpools'?" Scout shook his head. "I see... There is something still preventing you from mastering air-bending, no?" Scout seemed taken aback, slightly, but recovered quickly.

"U-ummm... yes. My Master told me that I hadn't discovered the 'secret of air-bending', whatever _that _means..."

"Well... I cannot help you there, unfortunately. You must be willing to find the answer on your own."

"That's the problem though! Every time I try figuring it out, I keep coming to this... _block_. Like something is preventing me from reaching the answer(2)." Medic hummed in thought, wondering what the problem could be.

"...have you tried meditating?" Scout scoffed.

"Don't make me laugh; it's boring, useless, and a waste of my time."

"You mean, you haven't meditated properly."

"Don't twist my words!"

"Why twist something when you practically say it yourself?" Medic stood up and beckoned Scout to follow him. "Come; I may not teach you water-bending, but I will teach you proper meditation."

...

...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Medic?"

"What do you want?"

"...is meditation always this _boring_?"

"You aren't doing it properly if you are bored. You must remain calm and quiet, focus on nothing, think about nothing, and simply... _be_."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...what if I can't stop thinking?"

"With you, that wouldn't surprise me..."

...

...

"I expect you ready for an hour's worth of meditation tomorrow, Scout." Medic, Scout, and Evelyn were sitting around a campfire, eating a stew Evelyn had graciously prepared while the two had spent their time meditating.

"Ugh! Why are you making me do it everyday?"

"Practice. You won't become better if you do not regularly practice."

"Practice what? Sitting in the same position for an hour?"

"Do you even understand the values of meditation?" Scout shook his head. "A true master of meditation does not react to the slightest disturbance. If he so wanted, he could have flaming coals dumped on him, and he would not react to it. All previous Avatars have to learn this skill, because it is the key in which they visit the Spirit World."

"And the Avatar has to be the bridge between both worlds."

"Exactly."

"So, meditating is the doorway, then?"

"Yes." Scout sighed, and dropped his head into his hands.

"This isn't going to be easy..."

"You are, quite literally, the peacekeeper of the world; whoever said something like that was easy?"

* * *

**Ugh, jeez... I'm not delivering much, am I?**

**Put it on hold for over a month (or two) and I give you only 3,000 words?**

**I must apologize.**

**Anyways... what do you guys think of the battle scene? I didn't have much reference, since no one ever made a battle between an air-bender and a water-bender. There wasn't much to work with, so I took some liberties.**

**A.N. Time!:**

**(1): Reference to 'Naruto', in which Wind style is superior to Lightning style**

**(2): This will make sense at a later date**

**Any ideas what Scout did to Medic? Will he ever learn to meditate and water-bend? Will I stop procrastinating on my paper?!**

**SO MANY QUESTIONS, SO LITTLE TIME!**

**Until next time!**

**~_Kage Musha_**


	4. Book 1, Chapter 4: The Phoenix

**I'm finally getting back into the groove of things!**

**There was a brief time when I was just... uninspired to write. Nothing was getting done, and it lasted about a week-2 weeks.**

**_Now_, however, I have risen from he ashes like a phoenix! **

**READY AND WILLING TO WRITE!  
**

**Riley: Dude... are you tripping?**

**KM: THAT'S HOW I GET MY INSPIRATION! *jumps out a nearby window***

**Riley: Holy... alright, since Kage is somewhat... preoccupied... I will take this time to credit.**

**KM does not own the 'Avatar' franchise (belongs to Nickelodeon), Portal, nor TF2 (both are from Valve), and he does not own the original ideas for this series, which are from MADJester1.**

**Enjoy!**

**KM: I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!**

* * *

_Book 1: Pain_

...

___Chapter 4: _The Phoenix

...

..

.

_(Jane: 19 years old)_

He was done.

He would not stand it anymore.

If he had to listen, just _one more time_, about the Fire Nation's army, well... he'd probably just burn down the Fire Temples.

Not that he _disliked _the army. Oh, no, he wanted to join it so badly!

Of course, once they noticed his... _enthusiasm _for fighting and killing, his superiors discharged him.

_'Dishonorably discharged,'_ the recruiters told him.

_'You have shamed this family to the highest degree,' _his family mocked him.

_'How could you even call yourself my son?!' _his father scorned him.

Soon enough, he had to leave the family or face certain death. No matter how much he hated his father, it was obvious that the man was nearing Mastery of fire-bending, while he was still struggling to control his flame.

_"Did you hear about the Doe boy?"_

_"'Dishonorable discharge', I heard..."_

_"I always knew the kid wasn't right, and this just proves it; he's sick in the head."_

Jane froze in the middle of the street, desperately trying to rein in his anger before he did something now that could get him arrested.

Not that he wouldn't do something illegal; just not here.

...

...

It was rather ironic that Fire Nation, the nation wielding the element almost perfectly opposite to water, had the best Water Brigade the world would ever see.

Jane watched, rather amused, as the Brigade scurried around, desperately trying to prevent the inferno from spreading any farther.

Of course, if they knew he had set two bombs in the other wings of the temple, then maybe-

***KA-BOOM***

***KA-BOOM***

...maybe not.

Jane nearly fell out of his tree from laughing so hard, as he saw the brigade descend into a panic over the temple's imminent destruction.

Of course, the smile was completely wiped from his face once he saw his father striding towards the blaze.

Why wouldn't he be alerted? His family's crest had been painted into the roof of the temple using oil, then set alight to burn. The crest consisted of a phoenix, a flame beneath it, rising up as though reborn from the ashes(1).

His family's motto was, _"Rising in triumph, just like the Phoenix."_

Nailed to a tree outside the temple (the only one that didn't catch fire) was a piece of paper, reading Jane's final words to his father.

_"Reborn from the ashes, revenge will come to those who wronged the Soldier. And not everything set on fire will rise again."_

...

..

.

_(7 years later)_

The name had stuck, after all these years.

While the 'Wanted' posters for him called him 'The Screaming Phoenix(2)' (probably because that's what he usually yelled during a raid on Fire Nation armories), everyone else referred to him as 'The Soldier of Vengeance', most likely due to his little note from seven years earlier.

He just called himself Soldier.

He wasn't going to remain affiliated with those traitors any longer.

Within the first few years of his secession, only lower-level soldiers were hunting for him. It was actually rather easy to defeat them, due to his suicidal attack patterns scaring the hell out of them. It was only a bonus that he had plenty of time, then, to plan and carry out his attacks on the armories. Of course, this prompted the army to raise the bounty for him, and start sending more experienced warriors after him, not to mention the bounty hunters who wanted the price tag on his head.

Soldier spent the next two years running away from pretty much every single person in the Fire Nation. He would spend days or even weeks out in the deep wilderness, surviving using nothing but a blanket, a knife, and a piece of rope. Finally, at around Year Six of his 'betrayal', he decided he had enough.

After a carefully conceived plan (which involved a gallon of honey, a copper pot, and a mini-skirt(3)), Soldier managed to find a safe passage to the Earth Kingdom. Luckily, no news of his... 'exploits' reached the Earth Kingdom, allowing him a chance to sleep in a bed for the first time in years.

Now, his main goal was to find another military force. The absolute hatred at his family burned at his mind over the years, until nothing seemed able to cure it except destruction of the Doe's. With an army, or even just a small, extremely well-trained task force, he would kill all of them.

Now... where could he find some good, ready-to-follow-anybody henchmen?

...

..

.

_"Maggie! No, don't hurt her!"_

_"S-Saxton... I... l-l-love..."_

_"M-mags? ...no...no... _NO!"**  
**

...

_"You... you killed Cave... YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, RAAVA!"_

Scout awoke with a gasp, startled by the strange dreams he had been having for a few days now. He looked to his left and right quickly checking to make sure he hadn't woken his companions.

Medic seemed to be sleeping peacefully with the earmuffs he had on, but Evelyn...

A loud noise shattered the silence, and Scout jumped in fright. It took him a few moments to realize the noise came from Evelyn, and she was... _snoring_?

Well, as long as she was still sleeping.

Scout slowly crawled out of his sleeping bag, grabbed his glider, and took off into the night.

A few moments after he left, both Friedrich and Evelyn sat up to watch him go.

"Is this an effect of his being the Avatar?" Evelyn asked.

"Depends... Raava may be trying to tell him something, or his past selves are attempting the same thing. Either way, the message is a clear warning for the boy."

"...is there anything we can do to help?"

"We can only wait and see."

"Yes sir..." They sat in contemplation for a few moments. "By the way..."

"Yes Evelyn?"

"If you even _mention _the snoring, I will gut you with an icicle."_  
_

...

...

During his many years training at the Air Temples, Scout proved time and time again that he was quite capable at multi-tasking. While Etsuko used this as a viable training tool, Scout used this differently.

Gliding around aimlessly, which gave him time to think by himself.

The dreams he'd been having had Saxton Hale in them, which meant they were memories of his past life. There was also a female voice in them as well, threatening Raava for killing somebody... although it was most likely Saxton himself who did the deed.

The only question, then, was _why _had he been having them in the first place?

Was it Raava trying to say something? Was it Saxton himself? Was he just finally going crazy?

"Jeez... why is this Avatar thing so frustrating?!" Scout growled.

Suddenly, off to his right, a column of fire burst through the treetops, nearing twenty feet high.

"Shit... what now?" Scout angled his glider to the fire's source, and prepared for anything.

...

...

When Scout landed in the scorched clearing, ready for any sort of trouble that might come his way, he didn't expect...

..._this_.

"ALRIGHT SOLDIERS! Over the past year, we have amassed many troops and trained them well! Unfortunately, we have not yet achieved the capacity that I dreamed off... BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE WILL GIVE UP, _NO_! We will grow larger, we will grow stronger, and we will DESTROY! THE! DOES!"

A general's speech to his troops, right? Nope.

The man was talking to a bunch of raccoon-deer.

"Um... excuse me?" The stranger tensed slightly, before he whirled around to launch a fireball at Scout."AH! Jeez, dude, don't launch fire at everybody you meet, alright?!

"WHO ARE YOU?! DID THE DOES SEND YOU?! ARE YOU, PERHAPS, A _SPY_?!" Scout's head tilted slightly.

"Um, no. I'm... well, I can't really say _exactly _who I am, but how many people do you know who can bend all the elements?" The man's face morphed from anger to shock._  
_

"You're the _Avatar_?!" Scout beamed. Bragging felt good sometimes.

"Yup! Air-bender and all!" Another fireball was suddenly fired in his direction.

"THAT'S A DIRTY LIE! EVERYONE KNOWS THE LAST AVATAR WAS A EARTH-BENDER, SO THAT MEANS _MY _NATION WOULD'VE HAD THE NEXT ONE!"

"I know _that_! But think about it! I was born in 432, right? Well, Saxton Hale died in 330! The difference between our dates of birth and death are about the length of a person's life span, which means..."

"...my nation... _did _have an Avatar?"

"But they were taken before anyone else knew about them!"

"So, the cycle then moved onto you after the Fire Avatar died."

"Exactly!" The stranger slumped.

"...oh. Well, then, u-um... sorry sir." Scout's smile was replaced with a scowl.

"Excuse me? Did I just hear you call me _'sir'_?!" The man squeaked in fear.

"I'm sorry! PLEASEDON'TKILLMEAVATAR!"

"Yeah... that ain't happening." The man looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Scout used the air currents to maneuver him into a sitting position on the ground, and the stranger joined him.

"Well... you know about the different oaths the Air Monks take, right?"

"Yeah, but... you don't look like you're a vegetarian, kid."

"I'm not. See, I didn't grow up in the temples; I was found and brought to them instead. Unfortunately, I had already picked up the habits of other peoples' ways of life, so it was hard for me to conform to the Oaths. I eat meat, I cuss like a sailor, and I'm pretty much the first person to start a fight and the last person to end it."

"Then how on earth did you stay?!" Scout frowned, lost in thought.

"There was one rule I would _never _break; I will never kill another person, no matter what."

"Issues?"

"You have _no idea_, bud..."

...

...

"SCOUT! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Evelyn called out into the forest. She and Medic had been walking for the past hour, searching for the Avatar after he had failed to return from his nightly excursion.

"Scout! Where did you go?!" Friedrich called. He may not have shown it, but he was slightly concerned for the boy.

Laughter was heard through the trees. Evelyn and Friedrich gave each other a look, and rushed to the source of the sound. After a few minutes, they came across Scout sitting with some man in a straw hat and Fire Nation garb, and they were both laughing at something the man said.

"...and I swear, when he read that note, he practically started screaming at the top of his lungs!" Both burst into another round of laughter at the thought. The stranger wiped a tear of laughter away from his eye once the giggles subsided. "Ah, anyways... that's how I became a fugitive.(4)"

"Wait, wh-" Evelyn started. Unfortunately, Scout chose that exact moment to notice them.

"Oh! Hey guys! Glad you found us okay!" The stranger suddenly jumped into an attack position.

"WHO ARE YOU?! DID THE DOE'S SEND YOU?!" Scout quickly got between him and his allies.

"Whoa, Soldier, chill! These are the two water-benders I was telling you about: Medic and Evelyn." The man, whose name was apparently 'Soldier', had the decency to look sheepish.

"Whoops... sorry!" Both water-benders stared at him in confusion.

"Um, Scout? Where did you find him?"

"He was just out here, training the raccoon-deer so that he could destroy his family and the Fire Nation's army." Scout replied, completely nonchalant. Evelyn continued to stare at the man, a mixture of confusion, worry, and fear on her face, while Medic took this time to drag Scout from the clearing.

"Scout... I don't understand _what _your problem is, but we can't just make friends with people like... like... _that_!" Scout scoffed.

"Okay, so he's not all there (Scout rapped his skull a few times with his knuckles)... but that doesn't mean he's not sane! His family disgraced him after he was discharged from the military, and they basically ruined his life for it!"

"Scout, you are the Avatar! You cannot condone revenge!"

"I don't."

"So, you need to realize that we need to just-... wait, what?"

"I don't approve of his idea of revenge in any way, whether or not I think he's justified in it. However, he's a good person, once you get to know him, so I want to _help _him! He's a fighter, so getting the violence out of him is impossible, but helping him to forgive can be done. And I'll do it!" Medic stared at the boy blankly for a few seconds, before a small grin grew on his face.

"Well then... why don't we ask him to come along then?" Scout whooped in joy, before rushing back to Soldier.

"SOLDIER! I'm on a mission to stop Gray Mann! Do you want to come with?!" Evelyn's eyes widened, and she frantically began to shake her head 'no'. Once Medic caught her eye and gave her a reassuring nod, she ceased.

"Hmmm... do I get to kill people?" Scout frowned.

"Ummm... depends on the situation, I guess."

"Do I get paid?"

"I don't have any money, really, so... no."

"Will I get to train you in fire-bending?" Scout gasped loudly.

"DUDE! If you really would do that, that would be a-MAZ-ing!" Soldier nodded, and closed his eyes to think about the pros and cons to going out on this venture with a person he just barely met and has no moral obligations towards and it would actually be extremely foolish to accept such a proposition because he's really not getting anything out of this except- "I'll go." Scout gaped for a moment.

"R-really?" Soldier nodded, and Scout leapt into the air with joy. "ALRIGHT! THIS IS SO AWESOME! You're gonna teach me fire-bending, and then I'm gonna be the best Avatar _ever_!"

"Of course, you must wait until _after _Scout masters earth-bending. The cycle must be kept in balance, or else."

"Or else _what_, maggot?!" Medic was taken aback for a moment.

"Did you just-... never mind. The _point_ is, Scout, you must first master air-bending before I can teach you, then you must find yourself an earth-bending teacher before Soldier here can begin your training." Both Scout and Soldier groaned in annoyance.

"Seriously?! What's the worst that could happen if I tried to fire-bend right now?"

"Why don't you ask Avatar Aang's opinion on that?"

...

..

.

_(One week later; Western Air Temples)_

"Sooo... what are we doing here?" Soldier asked. Scout grinned sheepishly.

"Well... Medic told me I needed to finish mastering air-bending, but nothing ever... _clicked_...while I was at the Southern Air Temples. Sooo, I decided we could stop here for a bit, and I'd ask the monks for help!" Soldier looked around the forested landscape, confused at the lack of temples.

"But... there's nothing here." Scout beckoned the group forward, and they followed him to the edge of a cliff leading into a giant gorge. "Still not seeing anything."

"Duh! We're standing right above them!" Medic gasped in realization.

"You mean, these are the temples built _upside-down_?!" Scout nodded, and Soldier and Evelyn gaped in shock.

"Unfortunately, I have no way to get you guys down there. On top of _that_... this is a females only temple. I'm pretty sure they'll accept having me, due to me being the Avatar and my... problems... but I'd rather Soldier and Medic just stay up here. Evelyn may be granted access, but that all depends. So just... wait here, and I'll be back with news soon." With that, Scout's glider opened up and he jumped off the cliff.

"You know... I've always wondered why he hadn't conformed to the glider jumpsuits that the other air-benders that visited the Northern Water Tribe seemed to wear..." Evelyn mused.

"I asked him about it one day." Medic mentioned.

"And?"

"He said his Master, Etsuko, wouldn't let him wear, and I quote, _'A disgrace to the honor and dignity of the Avatar!' _end quote."

...

...

"You are Master Etsuko's Apprentice, yes?" Scout was slightly surprised at the question.

"Um, yes ma'am. My name is Scout." The head monk of the Western Temples, Kana, nodded, and beckoned him to follow him. She led him into, what looked like, a private study which held a desk and many books. She walked behind her desk, and pulled out a telephone before talking into it quietly for a few seconds. She nodded, before holding out the phone to the Avatar. He, reluctantly, took it from her, and held it up to his ear gingerly.

"H-hello?"

_*SCOUT! HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY FROM THE TEMPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT JUST SO YOU COULD GO LEARN WATER-BENDING! YOU GET YOURSELF BACK HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND MAYBE, JUST _MAYBE_, I WON'T MAKE YOU CLEAN THE AIR-BISON STABLES FOR THE NEXT YEAR!*_

...

_*...Scout?*_ Scout was currently face-down on the floor, having been blown away by Etsuko's momentary rant towards him. Kana picked up the phone from it's place on the ground.

"He's fine. He just passed out from ear damage, I believe." Etsuko sighed in relief.

_*That's... that's good. Thank you Kana; can you send him back as soon as possible?*_ Kana frowned.

"About that... he requested assistance with mastering his air-bending."

_*...he did? But... the letter said-*_

"His current companions most likely persuaded him to finish his mastery of air-bending first before beginning his water-bending."

_*Current companions?*_

"Three, I believe. While I have not met them myself, I do know that he travels with 'The Medic' and his apprentice." Etsuko hummed in thought.

_*That man... I'm not surprised he would push Scout to master air-bending... Are you willing to give him that last push to mastery?*_

"I am, but this will not be easy..."

_*What do you mean?*_

"Do you not remember? You yourself noticed my high affinity for spirits the first time we met, saying it almost rivaled your great-great-grandmother, Master Jinora."

_*The point, please.*_

"What I am trying to say here, is that the Avatar is suppressing Raava within him."

_*What?! But... why would he do such a thing?*_

"Tell me: what happened the first time he ever used the Avatar State?"

_*...oh my... h-he said, when he woke up, he had k-killed his entire village.*_

"That... that would be cause enough for him to subconsciously suppress Raava."

_*Will you be able to help him?*_

"I will do my best... but this will take time..."

...

...

"WHAT DO YOU _MEAN _WE'RE STUCK HERE?!" Soldier roared.

"Exactly what it means; we're not leaving until I've... _healed_... as Master Kana puts it so nicely..." Scout grumbled.

"Well, while I am glad you are taking the necessary steps towards your Mastery, I am also upset with the fact that you're just leaving us up here while you stay in the temples."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! My hands are tied right now, because outsiders aren't allowed in no matter what! I'm only barely able to enter, due to my status as the Avatar, but no one else is allowed! They'll send up food every day for you guys, so you won't go hungry, but other than that..." Medic sighed.

"It's fine. Just go." Scout seemed unsure, but he nodded hesitantly before launching himself off the cliff again.

...

...

"Breathe in... and out... breathe in... and out... focus your mind on that day, and tell me what you see." It was Day 3 of Scout's 'therapy', and Kana was sitting with him in her study. Scout was currently laying down in a chair that was made in a reclined position, scrunching up his face in concentration.

"I'm... sitting with my family... we're eating dinner... and, someone just knocked on the door. My brother... he got up to answer it... and... a-and... NO, _JAKA_!" Scout sat up with a cry of agony, and Kana hurried over to him. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, as she guided him into the calming breathing exercises.

"Scout, it's okay; it's just a memory. You need to let the past go before you can fully begin to heal."

"Then why are you making me remember it all over again?! How is that letting go of my past?!"

"Burying your memories deep inside you did nothing, yes? You must let them out again, and only then can you truly rid yourself of the past."

"B-but... they all died... I can't watch it happen again, even if Jaka was a jerk to me..."

"You _must_! You cannot let this linger inside you, or you may lose control of your Avatar State!" Scout stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Kana sighed, upset she let this slip before Scout was ready.

"If... if the holder of Raava has a corrupted spirit... then Raava's power may become corrupted as well."

"Wait... you mean, Raava will turn dark?!"

"No, not like that... your Avatar State will instead. You will become a monster, intent on destroying everything around you." Scout's face went pure white.

"Like... like..."

"Yes. Like the day your family died."

...

..

.

_(Omake Start)_

...

_Soldier's First Attempt_

Soldier walked into a random bar,the doors swinging behind him as he entered. All conversation seemed to stop, as everyone stared at the new guy.

"ATTENTION ALL HOOLIGANS: I AM LOOKING TO CREATE AN ARMY OF WHICH I WILL USE TO DESTROY MY FAMILY AND THE ARMY OF THE FIRE NATION! _WHO WILL JOIN ME?!"_(5)_  
_

...

Soldier limped out of the bar an hour later, covered in a variety of injuries such as bruises, cuts, stabs, burns, and breaks.

He exacted revenge before he left, though, as the bar was left to burn while all it's patrons were locked inside to die.

...

_Soldier's Second Attempt_

Soldier cleared his throat nervously.

After his first failure, he decided that he would try to use a little... _diplomacy_ to get what he needed.

"General Zhang." Soldier stood up to shake the man's hand, and both sat down a the general's desk. The office was rather well done, with a panoramic window surrounding them, and many different war models adorning the room. "I request that several of your battalions be given to me for temporary command, so that I may bring about my goals." General Zhang nodded, contemplating the stranger's bizarre request.

"Why would you need such a thing? Why would you not use your Nation's troops instead?" Soldier grimaced.

"Well... let's just say I'm not welcome there at the moment..."

"And... your goals?"

"Ah! Well, I'm going to destroy my family, due to their treachery to me!" Zhang frowned.

"Is that the 'Screaming Phoenix''s newest goal? Destroy your family?" Soldier paled drastically.

"W-well... u-ummm..."

"Your father actually warned us that you would work to integrate yourself into our armies, you know. I never _dreamed _you would go to such an extent as this, though..." Zhang sighed. "It actually seems as though you have some skills, if you managed to even make it to this desk... a pity, though." Soldier grinned weakly.

"Y-yes... a pity." Soldier leaped out of the window, intent on escape.

...

_Soldier's Third Attempt_

Soldier led the inmates of the prison out the doors, cheers sounding from all the criminals as they were given their long sought-after freedom. Once the crowd exited the gates, he turned to face them.

"I know none of you understand my exact reasons for freeing all of you, but I have a simple request. I have a goal, in which I will destroy my family and ruin the Fire Nation's army. Unfortunately, even someone as skilled as I am (_maybe _he was laying it on a little thick here, but strength inspired people) would not last long against the entirety of the Nation's army. I ask you, now, are any of you willing to fight with me?!"

Dead silence.

Soldier's inspiring face drooped.

One man from the crowd (Soldier remembered he was Lazy-Eye Li) stepped forward sheepishly.

"Sorry mate... we criminals stick together, ya know?" Soldier brightened up.

"Oh! Well, in that case, I am a criminal as well! I am also known as the 'Screaming Phoenix'!" Several heads perked up, though for the entirely wrong reasons.

"Are you now? ...any idea what yer bounty is, mate?"

The answer set many of the prisoners to drooling at the thought of so much money.

...

_Soldier's Final Attempt_

"Sergeant Nibbles! What is the status of our troops?!" Soldier barked at the small raccoon-deer in front of him. The little creature scratched at it's ears, and stared at Soldier blankly.

"I see! And has Corporal Ringo completed his latest mission in time?!"

The raccoon-dear chirped a tiny bit.

"Excellent work, Sergeant! We will make the Doe's pay soon, with all the hard work you've done!"

...

_(Omake End)_

* * *

**I'm such a bastard! Leaving you with such a cliff-hanger!**

**Fortunately, next chapter features a battle scene with Scout, Soldier, Medic, and Evelyn, along with some of the ladies of the Western Air Temples.**

**Of course, this means I need a Beta to help me with this... because I really suck at making up battle scenes.**

**Just look at the last chapter! Took me over a month to finish it!**

**A.N. Time!:**

**(1): Go onto Google, and search up 'Rising Phoenix Crest', and it should be the second result in 'Images'**

**(2): Screamin' Eagles, you know?**

**(3): I used a noun generator to give me three different things that Soldier could have _possibly _used to get passage to the Earth Kingdom. I'm not going to describe the actual scenario to y'all, but anyone who wants to give it a shot is more than welcome to... provided, you tell me that you're doing so, and credit me and MJ1.**

**(4): I had to add that joke in somewhere. You TF2 fans all know it, and it's the greatest thing in existence to watch the 'reaction' to the end of the story.**

**(5): Get the reference? True '90's kids will know this episode from 'Spongebob'**

**Anyways, I'm offering a Beta reader position to anyone who asks, be they a Tumblr reader or a FF reader!**

**Until next time!**

**~_Kage Musha_**

**(P.S: Should I keep the 'omake' thing going? I need to know if I should even bother...)**


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